The revelation from California’s senior Democratic senator was a surprise to those in the audience for her appearance at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco on Tuesday, especially because Feinstein has been a vocal critic of Trump from his 2016 campaign and throughout his presidency.

“The question is whether he can learn and change,” Feinstein said. “If so, I believe he can be a good president.”

“I think we have to have some patience, I do,” Feinstein said, according to KQED. “It’s eight months into the tenure of the presidency … We’ll have to see if he can forget himself and his feelings about himself enough to be able to have the empathy and direction that this country needs.”

The response to Feinstein’s remarks on social media was fast and kind of furious.

Mercury News reporter Casey Tolan made sure to point out on Twitter that for the vast majority of the event, Feinstein otherwise received a warm welcome including a standing ovation and big applause.

But her kind words toward Trump elicited a response from State Senate leader Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), according to KQED, who said “we don’t have much patience for Donald Trump here in California. This president has not shown any capacity to learn and proven he is not fit for office.”

You can watch the full conversation with Feinstein below.

A Conversation About America and the World Senator Dianne Feinstein is one of the most accomplished women of our time, serving California in the U.S. Senate for nearly 25 years. D ...